It wasn’t the first – there were several one-room school houses that preceded it. But Cordley School, 1837 Vermont St., is the oldest elementary school building still in use in Lawrence.

The school, built in 1915, sits in central Lawrence, just east of the Kansas University campus. Besides its own history, it was named for a historical figure from Lawrence earliest days: the Rev. Richard Cordley, a Quantrill’s Raid survivor who was pastor of the Plymouth Congregational Church for 38 years. He also served on the Lawrence school board for seven years and was president of the school board for six years.

Cordley had an enrollment for the 2003-2004 school year of 211 students in kindergarten through grade 6.

Like many other Lawrence schools, Cordley has a diverse socio-economic mix, according to information from the Kansas State Board of Education Report Card. The state report card shows 39.07 percent of Cordley’s students are economically disadvantaged.

Here is the building’s ethnicity breakdown: white, 71.16 percent; African American, 13.95 percent; Hispanic, 5.58 percent; other, 9.3 percent.

According to the state’s latest report dard for Cordley, fifth grade students showed a decline in reading and fourth-graders improved in math over the previous year. They scored lower than their peers in the district and across the state in reading, but higher in math.

The number of the school’s fifth-graders who were “proficient,” “advanced,” or “exemplary” in reading went from 65 percent to 61.1 percent on the state test.

The Lawrence district’s overall reading score for fifth-graders, showed that 74.2 percent were either proficent, advanced or exemplary in reading. The overall state score was 68.7 percent for those categories.

Cordley’s fourth-graders tested in math showed an increase from 62.2 percent to 77.7 percent between 2002 and 2003 for students scoring either proficient, advanced or exemplary in math.

That compared with 73.3 percent for the entire districts and 73.5 percent for the state.

The school’s hours are 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The school has a before and after school care program with the Boys & Girls Club, 841-6854.

The school’s staff includes a total of 44 teachers and support staff.

In 2002, Adela Solis, who was then a teacher at East Heights but now teaches at Cordley, won Teacher of the Year. Sandra Sanders won the Teacher of the Year award in 1995.

Frank Hoffman, who is now retired from teaching, won the Lawrence Schools Foundation Educator of the Year award in 2003.

Cordley’s principal is Kim Bodensteiner, who has been at the school since 2000. She was a former special education teacher and assitant director of Three Lakes Educational Cooperative in Lyndon.

To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5640.